A longitudinal study of canine distemper (CD) among domestic dogs on Maasai communal land to the north of the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya was conducted from 1989 to 1991. Prevalence of antibodies to CD was very low among domestic dogs in 1989 and 1990 (4%, n = 49; and 1%, n = 119, respectively) and no African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus; n = 16) collected simultaneously from the same area had detectable antibodies. Among 51 domestic dogs sampled in 1991, however, prevalence of CD antibodies rose significantly (P < 0.01) to 76%. Disease-related mortality rates among domestic dogs were estimated from 1990 to 1992; they rose significantly (P < 0.01) from 21% in 1990 to 50% in 1991 and then decreased significantly (P < 0.01) to 38% in 1992. The 1992 mortality rate remained significantly (P < 0.01) higher than that of 1990. Signs observed in clinically ill domestic dogs were consistent with CD and included listlessness, decreased appetite, bilateral serous to mucopurulent oculonasal discharge, and diarrhea. No carcasses could be retrieved for virus isolation and postmortem examination. Concurrent with this CD epizootic in domestic dogs, the known African wild dog packs in this region disappeared.

Serum samples from 76 free-ranging adult jackals of three species from four localities in Kenya were examined for circulating antibodies against four canine pathogens: rabies virus, canine parvovirus (CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV), and Ehrlichia canis. Samples were collected between April 1987 and January 1988. Among black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas), the most sampled species, the mean prevalence of antibodies to CPV-2, CDV, rabies virus, and E. canis was 34% (14 positive/55 sampled), 9% (4/55), 3% (1/28), and 2% (1/36), respectively. There were no significant differences among sampling locations. In one area, antibody prevalence of CPV-2 was significantly higher for golden jackals (C. aureus; 9/16) than for C. mesomelas (5/26). Only three side-striped jackals (C. adustus) were sampled, but antibodies to CPV-2 and CDV were present. As jackals often are the most abundant wild carnivore in African ecosystems, they could serve as an important indicator species to monitor the potential of exposure of rare and endangered canids to specific canine diseases.

We vaccinated six captive badgers housed with five controls, and monitored blood antibody titers and white cell counts of both groups for 63 days postvaccination between 29 August and 3 December 1992. Five vaccinated badgers responded with antibody titers ranging from 1:64 to 1:1024 by 63 days postvaccination, whereas the sixth badger did not respond. Treatment badgers also had significant (P < 0.05) decreases in lymphocytes on days 16, 29, and 63. No badgers developed clinical signs of distemper. Control badgers did not produce antibodies against CD virus; thus, the vaccine virus probably was not transmitted between treatment and control animals. The vaccine appears safe for use in healthy badgers, but additional safety and efficacy study is needed.

A field study was conducted on Antigua, West Indies, to determine the feasibility of delivering an oral rabies vaccine or population control agent to free-ranging mongooses (Herpestes javanicus). Two biomarkers (tetracycline hydrochloride [THCL] and DuPont Oil Blue A^® dye) and two bait types (DuPont polymer fish meal and polyurethane foam) were used to bait three study sites. Four hundred polymer baits containing both biomarkers were distributed at 36 central point bait stations (11 baits/station) on an 80 ha study site (5 baits/ha); 69% of the mongoose population consumed one or more baits. Two thousand baits containing THCL and 400 baits containing DuPont dye were distributed on two additional 100 ha study sites (24 baits/ha). Polymer fish meal baits were used on the first site and polyurethane baits on the second site. Based on the presence of biomarkers in bone or soft tissue, 96 to 97% of the mongooses at both sites consumed at least one bait. We conclude that oral baiting of mongooses is a feasible method for delivery of vaccines for the control of rabies in this species.

Four-week-old northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) were inoculated subcutaneously with 10⁶ organisms from a low passage culture of Borrelia burgdorferi. Blood was collected weekly for culture, antibody detection, and immunoblot analysis. Three weeks postinoculation, viable spirochetes were isolated from the blood of one bird, but not from kidney, spleen, liver, or heart; all infected birds from which preinfection antibody titer had been established, had antibodies by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The inoculated birds did not show clinical signs of disease and there were no detectable gross or histopathologic lesions. Borrelia burgdorferi was detected in sections of kidneys on fluorescent antibody tests. Using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis to detect Borrelia burgdorferi DNA in tissue samples, the expected PCR product (DNA) of 246 base pairs was visible on agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. The identity of the PCR product was confirmed by slot blot hybridization with Borrelia burgdorferi specific DNA probe. Thus, these birds sustained infections for at least 3 weeks without clinical signs and may play a role in the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi.

Captive-reared mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were used as sentinels to study the epizootiology of avian botulism at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Willows, California (USA) from 1986 to 1989. Sentinel mallards were wing-clipped, and 40 to 50 birds were confined in 1.6-ha enclosures in 11 selected wetlands (pools). Enclosures were searched intensively three to four times weekly from July through October. Sick and dead wild and sentinel birds were collected, necropsied, and tested for type C botulism toxin. Botulism epizootics occurred in sentinel mallards in 1986, 1987, and 1989, but only a few isolated cases of botulism were detected in 1988. In most epizootics, botulism also was detected simultaneously in wild birds using the same pool outside the enclosure. Epizootics in sentinels were initiated and perpetuated in the absence of vertebrate carcasses. A sex-specific trend in the probability of intoxication was detected, with males contracting botulism at a higher rate than females. Daily mortality rates of sentinels during botulism epizootics ranged from 0.0006 to 0.0600, with a mean of 0.0190. These rates would result in the daily loss of 0.6 to 60 birds per thousand at risk. The use of sentinel birds provided an effective means of gathering site-specific epizootiologic data.

Twenty-eight isolates of Pasteurella haemolytica from domestic sheep (n = 14 isolates) and bighorn sheep (n = 14 isolates) were evaluated for leucotoxicity against peripheral blood neutrophils of bighorn sheep by adding bacterial culture supernatants to bighorn sheep neutrophils in vitro. Leukotoxic isolates of P. haemolytica, defined as causing >50% neutrophil death as measured by release of lactate dehydrogenase into culture supernatants, were identified from eight of 14 domestic sheep isolates and from 0 of 14 bighorn sheep isolates. The in vitro assay of isolates of P. haemolytica may provide a valid predictive measure of strain virulence of P. haemolytica, and of potential pneumonic episodes in bighorn sheep populations.

Alveolar macrophages and peripheral blood neutrophils from elk (Cervus elaphus), bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis), and domestic sheep were exposed to culture supernatants from Pasteurella haemolytica isolated from bighorn sheep and domestic sheep. In a second experiment, peripheral blood neutrophils from mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), elk, and bighorn sheep were exposed to culture supernatants from P. haemolytica isolated from elk, bighorn sheep and domestic sheep. Alveolar macrophages from elk, bighorn sheep and domestic sheep were resistant to killing by P. haemolytica supernatants from bighorn sheep and domestic sheep; susceptibility of neutrophils to cell death, as measured by release of lactate dehydrogenase, differed significantly (P < 0.05) between the four species tested. Bighorn sheep and domestic sheep neutrophils were susceptible to cytotoxin damage by the P. haemolytica isolates used; bighorn sheep neutrophils were four- to eight-fold more susceptible to cytotoxin damage than domestic sheep neutrophils. Neutrophils from deer and elk were resistant to killing by P. haemolytica cytotoxins from any species tested.

During November and December of 1988, 1990, and 1991, a total of 22 free-ranging Juan Fernández fur seal (Arctocephalus philippii) females from Alejandro Selkirk Island, Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile, were immobilized with a combination of ketamine and diazepam. Atropine sulphate was used to decrease respiratory secretions. The mean (±SD) induction dosages of ketamine and diazepam were 3.64 ± 1.3 mg/kg and 0.12 ± 0.07 mg/kg, respectively. Mean (± SD) induction time and time to recovery for females injected intramuscularly (IM) (15 ± 7 min and 47 ± 16 min) were significantly greater than for females injected intravenously (IV) (0.6 ± 0.4 min and 26 ± 11 min). Mean (± SD) heart rates and core temperatures were significantly higher for females injected IV (173 ± 15.71 beats/min and 37.6 ± 0.83 C) than for females injected IM (135 ± 27.06 beats/min and 36.5 ±1.15 C). In addition, the IV route resulted in better levels of immobilization compared to the IM route. The degree of immobilization was not related to the dosages of ketamine and diazepam administered. Two animals died after drug administration.

Forty-one wild raccoons (Procyon lotor) were captured in Kentucky (USA) and immobilized with 7 to 16 mg/kg of ketamine hydrochloride, January to May 1987. Eight raccoons had muscle tremors in response to ketamine, but recovered with no other observable adverse effects. Mean (±SD) induction and duration of immobilization times were 3.2 ± 1.8 and 42.3 ± 14.5 minutes, respectively. Based on multiple regression analysis, the interaction of sex (P = 0.0030), body mass (P = 0.0036), dose (P = 0.0159), and the interaction of sex × dose (P = 0.0030) and body mass × dose (P = 0.0021) had a significant effect on the duration of raccoon immobilization.

We determined the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis (Nematoda, Filariidae) among 433 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in northeastern Spain, between 1990 and 1992. Fortysix (11%) of 433 foxes were infected; the intensity ranged from 1 to 36 (mean ± SE; 4.39 ± 0.92) nematodes per host. The prevalence of D. immitis was higher in foxes inhabiting riparian zones of the study area. This population has a very high juvenile/adult ratio. Heartworm prevalences did not differ among host sex, weight, or fat condition categories.

We evaluated clinical signs and administered anthelmintic treatment to a wild-caught, captive Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi) kitten from Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida (USA) infected with the hookworm, Ancylostoma pluridentatum. Clinical signs observed included poor body condition, lethargy, and below normal red blood cell numbers, hemoglobin concentration, and packed cell volume, and elevated eosinophil numbers. In addition, a maximum of 936 Ancylostoma sp. eggs/g of feces were found on Day 11 of captivity. Following oral administration of 20 mg/kg pyrantel pamoate on Day 11, 26 A. pluridentatum were collected from the feces. Based on the resolution of clinical signs, cessation of egg shedding, and a return to normal hematologic values following anthelmintic treatment, we believe that infection with A. pluridentatum was the primary cause of the stressed conditions in the panther kitten.

The warble fly larvae Hypoderma diana was diagnosed in five roe deer (Capreolus capreolus coxi) imported from Hungary on 10 January 1993.

Fourteen non-flying wild greylag (Anser anser anser) goslings were reported dead on the Bothnian Bay coast of Finland in July and August, 1992. Renal coccidiosis caused by Eimeria truncata was isolated from all three of the goslings necropsied.

Babesia cynicti originally was described from spleen smears of two yellow mongooses (Cynictis penicillata), the main vectors of rabies on the central plateau of South Africa. During a detailed study of the epizootiology of rabies in that area between October 1991 and February 1993, sets of blood smears from three yellow mongoose populations were available for examination. Babesia cynicti was found in 50 of 56 specimens from Rooiwal, north of Pretoria, in 13 of 18 specimens from near Ermelo in the southeastern Transvaal, and in 22 of 23 specimens from Potchefstroom in the western Transvaal.

We determined the antibody prevalence of toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii infections) in antelopes in Saudi Arabia. Serum samples from 324 Gazella subgutturosa marica, 202 Gazella gazella, 70 Gazella dorcas, and 12 Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) were tested by the indirect hemagglutination test. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 13(4.0%) G. subgutturosa marica, 12(5.9%) G. gazella, 3(4.3%) G. dorcas, and in none of the Arabian oryx sampled. More adult gazelles were seropositive than juveniles; males and females were similar. The highest reciprocal antibody titer recorded (262,144) was in a G. subgutturosa marica serum.

We report six cases of rabies (three confirmed, three suspected) in gray wolves (Canis lupus) representing 21% of the total wolf mortality in a 5 yr study (1987 to 1992) of radio-collared wolves in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Reports of rabies in wolves of the Great Lakes region of North America are rare, even though wolf populations have been studied extensively for almost 40 years. No cases have been documented in wild wolves on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes, whereas, in Ontario, 15 cases have been documented since 1960.

Lungs and lymph nodes of 79 Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that died from 6 August 1987 to 16 April 1988 along the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey, Virginia, and Florida (USA) were examined histologically and were tested for the presence of morbillivirus antigen by an immunoperoxidase technique. Lung lesions included areas of interstitial pneumonia characterized by varying combinations of type II pneumocyte hyperplasia, interstitial fibroplasia and leukocytes, syncytia, and intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies. Fungal, bacterial, and mixed bacterial and fungal pneumonias were common. Lymphoid depletion, lymphocytosis, syncytia, and intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were present in lymph nodes. Morbillivirus antigen was detected in 42 (53%) of 79 dolphins examined. Based on histopathologic and immunocytochemical findings, we diagnosed morbillivirus-induced disease. This is the first report of disease caused by morbillivirus in bottlenose dolphins and in any cetacean species outside Europe.

A free-living adult female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) found dead near Panama City, Florida (USA), had necrotizing and ulcerative tracheitis, suppurative and hemorrhagic pneumonia, and necrotizing myocarditis; fungal hyphae were present in these lesions. Additionally, lungs had multifocal proliferative interstitial pneumonia with occasional syncytial cells. Some syncytial cells and type II pneumocytes contained eosinophilic intranuclear or intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies, or both. Based on an immunoperoxidase technique, there was morbilliviral antigen within cytoplasm and nuclei of type II pneumocytes and syncytial cells; antigen also occurred in trachea, skin, liver, stomach, intestine, and uterus. Based on pathologic and immunocytochemical findings, the dolphin had morbillivirus-induced disease. This is the first report of morbilliviral disease in a marine mammal from the Gulf of Mexico.

Fish were sampled at the Ed Weed State Fish Hatchery (South Hero, Vermont, USA) in September 1992. Aeromonas salmonicida was common, with concentrations as high as 10⁵ to 10⁷ colony-forming units per gram of mucus, and readily recovered from most mucus samples obtained from furunculosis-sensitive populations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The pathogen was the predominant microorganism and accounted for greater than 85% of the total number of bacteria isolated from the mucus of these fish. By comparison, A. salmonicida was recovered only from two rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and bacterial frequencies did not exceed 10³ colony-forming units per gram of mucus. The pathogen was not recovered from the mucus of steelhead (O. mykiss) or Rome brown trout (Salmo trutta) selectively bred for resistance to furunculosis, even though there was widespread contagion throughout the hatchery and fish were cultured on a common, unprotected water supply.

Diagnosis of sylvatic plague in a captive black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) was based on gross and microscopic lesions, fluorescent antibody tests, culture of Yersinia pestis, and immunohistochemistry. Gross lesions consisted of acute hemorrhage and necrosis associated with cervical and mesenteric lymph nodes, subcutaneous hemorrhages, and pulmonary edema. Acute edema, hemorrhage, and necrosis with numerous bacteria in blood vessels and sinusoids characterized microscopic lesions. Occurrence of fatal plague in a black-footed ferret potentially has significant implications for recovery of this endangered species due to the widespread distribution of plague in prairie dog colonies throughout historic black-footed ferret range.

Extensive dermatitis caused by Dermatophilus congolensis was identified in two kafue lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis) in Lochinvar National Park of Zambia. The lesions were characterized by thickening of the skin, crusts, and nodule formation. Almost all parts of the body were affected. Histologically there was an exudative dermatitis with acanthosis, parakeratosis, hyperkeratosis, and an exudate rich in neutrophils. This is the first known report of dermatophilosis in lechwe.

We evaluated Zoletil on free-ranging red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Spain. Twentytwo pup and 49 adult wild-caught red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were immobilized with a combination of tiletamine hydrochloride and zolazepam hydrochloride in a 1:1 proportion (Zoletil). Mean (±SE) Zoletil doses were 10.57 (±0.41) mg/kg (range = 7.58-15.39 mg/kg, n = 22) for pups and 10.51 (±0.33) mg/kg (range = 5.88-16.67 mg/kg, n = 45) for adults. Mean induction and first recovery times for pups were 2.3 (±0.2) minutes (range = 1 to 5 minutes) and 35.5 (±3.28) minutes (range = 18 to 78 minutes), respectively. Mean induction and first recovery times for adults were 3.7 (±0.21) minutes (range = 2 to 8 minutes) and 35.4 (±2.22) minutes (range = 13 to 90 minutes), respectively. We recommend Zoletil doses of 10 mg/kg for red foxes. For wild adult red foxes of unknown weight, an initial dose of 60 to 70 mg Zoletil should be administered. This dose should allow about 40 minutes of handling time.

Twenty-seven hand-reared male Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), with a mean (±SD) weight of 86.9 (±16.9) kg, were darted in the muscle with xylazine at a mean (±SD) dosage rate of 0.5 (±0.07) mg/kg. This dosage was sufficient to induce recumbency in 24 animals in a mean (±SD) time of 9.4 (±5.6) min. Three animals never became recumbent at this dosage but were mildly sedated and still could be handled. Atipamezole was used as antagonist agent in a mean (±SD) time of 32.1 (±9.6) min after the initial injection of xylazine. Two thirds of the total amount of atipamezole was given intravenously while one third was injected subcutaneously at a mean (±SD) total dosage of 0.087 (±0.014) mg/kg. The mean (±SD) reversal time (time to stand up after the injection of atipamezole) was 87.1 (±43.2) sec for the 24 recumbent oryx. A resedation period (lowering of the ears and the head, unsteady gait and sometimes recumbency), lasting up to two hours, occurred between two and five hours after the injection of atipamezole in 21 animals.

A combination of 100 mg/ml of ketamine hydrochloride (Ket) and 20 mg/ml of xylazine hydrochloride (Xyl) was used to immobilize coypus (Myocastor coypus). Eight mature coypus (four males and four females) were injected intramuscularly with doses ranging from 2.33 to 6.25 mg/kg of KET and 0.25 to 0.86 mg/kg of Xyl. The mean (±SE) time for induction, arousal, and recovery were 7.3 ± 2 min, 23.5 ± 0.3 min and 46 ± 2.5 min, respectively. The mean ± SE doses injected were 4.07 ± 0.52 mg/kg Ket (range, 2.33 to 6.25 mg/kg) and 0.5 ± 0.08 mg/kg Xyl (range, 0.25 to 0.86 mg/kg). No adverse responses were observed in any of the animals treated.

Hematologic and serum chemistry reference values were determined for 160 12-month-old brown untamed captive mink (Mustela vison). Blood was obtained by jugular venipuncture after administration of ketamine and xylazine. There were no statistically significant differences between male and female mink. The packed cell volume, hemoglobin, and red blood cell count were 10 to 20% lower than previously reported for non-anesthesized mink. Serum glucose, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase values also were lower than previously reported values.

Diffusely invasive tumors occurred in the stomach of a 9-year-old female cougar (Felis concolor) from a zoo in Japan. The tumors consisted of tubular adenocarcinoma cells, and had infiltrative growth to the submucosa and muscularis propria. Tumor cells were positive for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), lysozyme, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), gastrin, alpha-1-fetoprotein (AFP), keratin, and B72.3. Mucin-like materials occurred within cytoplasmic vacuoles.

An acute and chronic case of cerebral infarction syndrome in two raccoons (Procyon lotor) respectively is described. The raccoon with an acute form of the condition had clinical neurologic signs whereas the raccoon with a chronic form of the condition had no evident clinical signs. In neither raccoon were significant vascular lesions seen. This is the first report of cerebral infarctions in raccoons.

A female raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) captured September 1992 in Nara prefecture, Japan, suffering from swollen joints of all four limbs was necropsied. Radiographically, there was a shadow in the right pulmonary caudal lobe and periosteal bone formation around several joints. Microscopically, there was extensive edema, along with one large and many small pyogranulomatous nodules and purulent bronchitis in the right lobe and left caudal lobe of the lungs. There were intermingled branching filamentous bacteria in the lesion, which stained positively with Warthin-Starry, Grocott, and Gram stains, and partially with periodic acid Schiff and Ziehl-Neelsen stains. Extensive exostosis with coralloid trabeculation had developed bilaterally at the carpal, stifle and hock joints in the surrounding well vascularized loose connective tissue. Degeneration of articular cartilage and villous proliferation of synovial membranes were apparent. This is the first report of hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy in the raccoon dog.

Based on histories and gross and histologic findings, snakebite was diagnosed in three dead raptors submitted for post-mortem examination from northern Florida and southern Georgia (USA). Two immature red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) were found next to dead and partially eaten venomous snakes. An adult Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) was found adjacent to a den containing a cotton-mouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and an eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). Gross findings in all birds consisted of hemorrhage and gangrenous necrosis of one limb. Severe muscular degeneration was seen histologically.